


Lost and Found

by Sodochlor



Category: Banjo-Kazooie Series, Conker's Bad Fur Day
Genre: Angst, Childhood Friends, Drinking, Drinking & Talking, Drinking to Cope, Emotional Hurt, Excessive Drinking, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Inner Dialogue, M/M, Male Slash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2020-11-27 06:21:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20943746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sodochlor/pseuds/Sodochlor
Summary: While Conker laments the death of his late girlfriend, he comes across an old friend from his childhood days. As the two meet more often, they slowly rekindle their brotherly bond. But little would they know that they would fill the hole left in each other’s hearts, and suddenly they find themselves closer than they ever were before.





	1. Was That...?

Conker the Squirrel.

No.

Conker the King.

King of all the land. Who would’ve thought he could sit on the throne one day and call it his own? I mean, he was only some nosy money-grabbing, honey-chasing, booty-hunting alcoholic who only took the wrong way home and now the entire land is in his hands! That bad fur day must have been some ride!

Point is, Conker’s a king, he's rich, and with the help of some dumb old goons, he had the power to do whatever he wanted. He thought, hey, things can only get better from here, right?

They didn’t.

Conker had everything he ever wished for: an enormous amount of wealth, having anything you want when you want it, etc. But he only achieved getting it with the help from a handful of “friends,” most of whom Conker didn’t even know, let alone want, and at the cost of, what, thousands of lives and his precious girlfriend? It just wasn’t worth it.

He doesn’t deserve all this.

He doesn’t want to sit on the throne anymore.

He’s not ready to face the challenges that come with being king.

He just wants to leave it all and come home sweet home to his beautiful Berri.

Who he knew wasn’t around anymore.

He had the opportunity to save the one person he cared about the most, yet not once did it come to his mind.

Berri meant the world to Conker. She was the one to look after him and she gave him a reason to live. Sure, their relationship wasn’t the best with commitment, often Conker finding another pair of tits to fondle, but it was enough that he saw Berri as a mother figure that he never knew he lacked. Now that she’s gone, Conker would sink deeper into the darkness already embedded in his life. It was as if he could still hear her gasping for air as she succumbed to her demise.

Conker feels as if he doesn’t even deserve Berri. Such a person who was more sophisticated than they look shouldn’t even go out with some pathetic bozo only looking to ruin their life further with a drink. He wondered why she stayed with him despite all that he’s done against her. He didn’t want to think of her seeing him now and what she would have to say.

In all honesty, Conker just wanted to forget about Berri for a minute and just try to enjoy the rest of his oncoming life, even if it meant having to subject himself to the misery of being king until he dies.

One night, he sneaks out of the castle and makes his way to the local bar (and the only bar in the kingdom) called the Cock and Plucker because a drink a day makes your problems go away.

As the tiny red squirrel enters the old wooden building, the only working bartender finishes washing a mug. Conker walks to a chair at the counter, but being under average height, he struggles to hop on to the chair, so the tender lends a hand and helps him up.

“So, whatcha havin’?” the bartender asks.

“Oh, just the usual.”

“Scotch, single malt, Speyside, no ice?”

“Yup.”

“Alright.” The tender grabs a bottle of scotch from the shelf and pours it on a glass shot. “Here you go.” He passes it to Conker, who gulps it down in one take.

“Oh, yeah, keep ’em comin’.”

The bartender refills his glass with another shot. Conker gulps it down again in one shot.

“So what’s been wit’ you lately? You’ve been down like this since you became king.”

“Oh, can’t be arsed, ain’t worth anything talking about. You know what, just gimme the whole bottle…”

“Alright.” The bartender hands him the large bottle of scotch. Conker takes the bottle and drinks it all down to the last drop.

“Ah, light and sweet, just like Berri…”

“Berri, is she what’s bothering you lately?” The bartender asked.

“Yeah, I guess,” Conker responded.

“She okay?”

“Yup, in fact, she’s in a much better place now…”

“Oh. Sorry to hear about that.”

“Eh, it’s fine.”

“It’s difficult having to deal with losing a loved one,” consoled the bartender, “but all of us have to know when to move on.”

“Yeah, I guess...” Conker sighs and rests his head on the counter as his drunken state leaves him off to a deep slumber…

* * *

“Ooh, I don’t feel so good… My head hurts, and I…”

Conker leaves the Cock and Plucker with a feeling of heaviness and nausea, causing him to vomit on the ground. As Conker makes his way back to the castle, he sees a distant figure through the route on the edge of the forest. From what he could tell, it seemed to a brown bear wearing what looked like yellow cargo shorts and a blue backpack. Conker squinted his eyes as something about the person seemed familiar.

_Could it be...?_ The squirrel pondered in his head as he tried to get a closer glance. Either it could be who he thought it was, or he’s still suffering from a hangover and couldn’t get his head straight. Just as he was turning to look away, the bear seemed to have caught his gaze. Conker immediately turned away to prevent any awkward and bizarre interactions.

“Eh, I’m probably just seeing things, I think I’ll just head back...” The little squirrel started to make his way towards the castle. He never called it home since the place was far too big for such a small creature like him and he would only sit on the throne and act as if nothing ever happens.

* * *

At that moment, Conker couldn’t stop thinking about what happened earlier near the forest. Most of the time he spent considering all the reasons it happened.

“Was that… no, it can’t be…” Could it have been his old friend from…?

No. It couldn’t have. He was still with those weird bozos from back when he raced with Diddy, wasn’t he? “I don’t understand what he could be doing here at a time like this...”

Ever since he left the group to live with Berri, Conker started to dislike them. It felt embarrassing to know that he used to be just like them, racing their days away, blind to what lies ahead for the real world. Conker wanted to forget them, he couldn’t care any less about those morons.

Yet, of all of them, there was one person he could never forget, and it was Banjo the Bear. Out of the other racers, he was the one Conker bonded with the most. It began when the orange-furred squirrel got into an accident with his racing kart. Banjo was in last place when he saw him and his car damaged from the crash and immediately went to help him up. Banjo offered him a ride to the finish. Ever since then, Banjo and Conker have been the closest of friends.

The two would often hang out frequently outside of races and do fun stuff together, like exploring, or playing video games. They formed a brotherly bond with one another and would often be there for each other. At the time, it seemed like nothing could ever break them apart.

But when Conker met and began a relationship with Berri, things between the two friends changed. He wanted to dedicate his time and love for her, so he started opting out of races and hanging out with Banjo less until one day, he left without a trace. They had made no contact since then. Little would he know (and little would he care) that the party would disband a few weeks after. Everyone, including Banjo, had moved on to different paths.

Banjo would then meet another friend, a passionate and aggressive red (with some yellow) bird by the name of Kazooie. They would go on wild adventures together and, despite Kazooie’s impulsively rude behavior, they bonded pretty well. Along the way, Banjo met some other friends that helped him out on his journeys. Because of this, Banjo had happily moved on after the split.

The little squirrel pondered for a minute. _What if we met each other again one day? What would happen between the two of us? What would he think about me now? Would he still want to be friends, or would he look down at me and leave me alone to suffer like everyone else did? I mean, look at me, I’ve been wasting my entire life drinking ever since I left him... But I don’t think I have a choice now, do I? He’s all I have left, and if I were to lose him, then there’s nothing else I can do…_

“Perhaps I’ll pay the guy a visit. Can’t hurt to see an old friend after a long while, can it? Who knows what could happen? Maybe there’s a chance we could bring back what we had before... Hmm, yeah, that should get my mind off Berri, at least for a while…”

Conker knew he would never forget Berri anytime soon, but he had no other option. All he wanted now was for someone to be there for him, especially now when he was going through the toughest of times.

He longed for company.

He felt desperate.

Desperate for someone to fill the void placed in his heart, regardless if they were just a simple friend.

Conker stared long out of the window of his bedroom at the vast land, slightly illuminated by the pale moonlight. The shimmering stars glowed faintly against the dark black. The little king is reminded once again of his dead girlfriend and her lifeless body floating throughout space. He lets out a sigh of sorrow and heads to his bed.

Conker wanted to wake up in hopes that he would feel better about the whole situation, but he shakes this off as he dozes off to sleep.


	2. I Need an Answer

_ **That same night…** _

Banjo and Kazooie were traversing through the terrain from their last adventure at the Panther Kingdom and were making their way back to Spiral Mountain. Banjo really wanted to get home real soon but he was too tired to pay any attention to his surroundings when a rumble vibrates the ground beneath them.

"Hey, watch out!" Kazooie yelled. Banjo quickly stopped dead in his tracks as a boulder came tumbling down and had nearly crushed the bear and bird.

"Thanks for the heads-up, Kazooie!" he said, giving a thumb up and a smile.

"Well, if you weren’t so busy with your head up in the clouds, maybe you would’ve noticed that a boulder was gonna crush us!" Kazooie yelled, her wings flapping in anger.

"Geez, sorry," Banjo apologized and scratched his head for a bit before continuing on their way.

* * *

Finally, after a long hour of running, jumping, and defeating numerous enemies, the bear-bird duo are now at their home in Spiral Mountain. As they enter Banjo's household, they are greeted by two of their fellow friends, Bottles and Mumbo Jumbo.

"Well, if it ain't Goggle Boy, the four-eyed clown," Kazooie provoked.

"Well, at least I'm not the one with eggs up in me all the time, who's the real clown around here?" Bottles insulted back.

"Hey, can we save the yelling for tomorrow? I could really use a nap right now," Banjo pleaded as he pinched his eyes in exhaustion.

The two were too busy fighting to pay any attention to him, so a slightly irritated Banjo dropped his bag down, which caused Kazooie to fall on the floor.

"Uh-oh, this not good," Mumbo said as he slowly backed away from the scene.

Banjo ignored any of the red-feathered bird's loud complaints. Bottles had lost it, laughing hysterically at Kazooie, much to her chagrin. Mumbo tries to stop the two of them but ends up leaving the house altogether. Banjo decided that he was too tired to deal with anything else, so he simply covers his ears, heads straight to his room, and closes the door.

Banjo hops onto his bed and a muffled sigh came from the tired bear. He always loved coming back to his bed after a long adventure, but now was not the time for him to doze off. He desperately wanted to get some sleep, but something in his mind wouldn't let him. His mind flashes back to what happened in the forest.

_Could that have been…Conker? It’s been a decade since I'd last seen him, but_ _ from the looks of it, he seems like he's been through a lot._

_What could've changed through the past 10 years we've been apart?_

_And what was he doing at a bar? He hasn’t been drinking all this time, has he?_

_He'd never do anything like that._

_I just hope that he's doing alright and Berri's taking good care of him..._

Suddenly, an angry Kazooie busted the door open with such force that made Banjo flinch in shock. The bear turned around to face her, the bright light blinding his eyes, causing him to let out a rather harsh groan.

"**WHAT THE HELL!?**" Kazooie fumed in rage at the top of her lungs. "How could you just leave me on the floor there like that, ESPECIALLY IN FRONT OF BOTTLES-"

"Kazooie," Banjo interrupted the bird. "it's already late, can you please tone it down? And I only did it because you two wouldn't stop arguing so loud, I'm already worn out from the long trip to and from the kingdom."

Kazooie wanted to retaliate back at the argument; she wasn't one to back down easily. But seeing as how he was right; it _was_ late, and she'd get into the trouble of waking up everyone in a mile-long radius. The breegull sighed as she begrudgingly gave in. "Fine..."

Kazooie looked for something to sit on, then found a wooden chair situated near the window. She sat and turned to face Banjo, whom she noticed looked lost in deep thought about something.

"Hey, something on your mind?" Kazooie asked.

"Oh, nothing you should be worried about," the bear nonchalantly responded.

"Is it about what happened in the forest earlier?"

"Well, uh, yeah."

"Who was that little squirrel guy anyway?"

"Oh, he used to be an old friend of mine. We used to hang out in the days when I went racing with Diddy and his friends. We were very close back then, and we always had each other's backs. We'd always do all sorts of fun stuff together."

Banjo continued, enthusiasm slowly dissipating from his voice. "But it all changed when he met his girlfriend, Berri. Occasionally, he'd bring her to races to watch us. He had me introduced to her one time. She was nice, kind and wouldn’t hurt a fly. She was perfect for someone like him. But then, from time to time, he'd pull out of races because he 'wanted to reserve his time for the one he loved.' He kept doing this more and more until he suddenly just left. We never heard from him after that…"

Kazooie's face turned into a slight expression of concern. "Why didn’t you try to contact him?"

"He and Berri seemed like they had a good thing going on, and I didn’t want to bother their relationship."

"Oh…are you not mad at him for leaving you like that?”

"Not at all. In fact, I felt really glad for him. He now has someone worth giving all his love and attention to. If that’s what makes him happy, then I'm happy for him."

Banjo lets out a deep sigh. His face is one of worry as he stares up at the ceiling.

"Hey, you look kinda down in the dumps. You okay?" Kazooie consoled.

"Yeah. It’s just that...I kinda miss him. He was the one guy I looked up to the most. He would see everything in a good light. He would always put on a smile on his face, even if something would make him feel down. But now, I'm not entirely sure. He was right in front of a bar and he looked outright miserable. I can tell he's not doing so well. Has something happened to him all those years? I want to know...I want to know what’s been going on with him. I want to do something, and if I can't, then the least I can do is be there for him."

"Kazooie," Banjo requested, "do you mind if I go off alone tomorrow to find my old buddy Conker?"

"Wait, 'Conker'? He's named after a nut? Well, I guess that makes sense, him being a squirrel and all. Anyway, why is it just you going?"

"I think it would be best if it were just the two of us, Kazooie."

"Okay, but don't you need help getting through the obstacles along the way there?"

"Don't worry, I can handle myself. Why else would I have these big guns?" Banjo said as he flexed the muscles of both of his well-built arms.

"Alright then." Kazooie eye-rolled at the cheesy remark.

"Make sure to tell the others, okay?"

"Got it."

Once again, Banjo let out another long sigh. He then wrapped himself in his comfy blue blanket. Kazooie tucked herself inside Banjo's blue backpack. It looked a little too small on the outside but to her, it fit her comfortably. She never knew why she felt comfy in there, despite the little space she has.

As the bear and bird head off to sleep, Banjo takes a moment to recollect his thoughts.

He still had many questions he wanted Conker to answer. How were things between him and Berri lately? Had anything happened between them? Banjo knew he'd get these answers once they meet, but for now, all he needed was to get some shut-eye.

_ Just wait for me, buddy, I'm coming for you. I'm going to make sure that I’ll always have your back, just like the good old days. Everything will be alright, I promise… _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's chapter 2! Hope you enjoyed reading the story so far, things are about start getting deeper from here :D
> 
> Next chapter, Banjo and Conker bump into each other at the forest, and as the two head towards Conker’s home castle, secrets are revealed, questions are answered, and things are about to get dark.
> 
> Anyways, I’m gonna go take a break for a while. Busy with lots of stuff going on.
> 
> See you all in about a month...or two!
> 
> EDIT: Just to inform you all, I am still working hard on Chapter 3, it's just that I've had a lot of catching up to do with other matters. Not to worry though, I'm dedicated to making sure the next chapter comes to you as soon as possible in the next few days or so! Anyways, thank you to all those who are still dedicated to find out what's in store for our 2 old buddies! Hope to see you all soon!


	3. I'm Coming for You

**_The next day… _ **

Banjo groggily opens his eyes and lifts his torso to sit up. He deliberately rubbed his eyes of any sleep and got up to prepare for his journey.

Banjo wasn’t exactly a morning person. He never enjoyed having to put in the effort to get up early to start his day. He'd rather stay at home in his bed and not do anything for the rest of his time. But this time, it was important; he would finally see his old friend after so many years, and he would make it count.

After completing his morning routine, Banjo was all prepared to go on his journey. The bear enters the living room, where Kazooie is sluggishly situated on the couch, her eyes focused on the glaringly bright screen of their large 40" CRT as she changed channels looking for something exciting to watch.

Banjo stands to the side of the couch near the door with his hands on his waist and stares at Kazooie. "You’re just gonna sit here all day and watch TV?"

"Asked the guy who didn’t bother to wake up early today," deadpanned Kazooie.

Banjo sighed in slight annoyance, "Alright then, if that's what you’re planning… Okay, remember what I told you last night: make sure to tell the others, sound good?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll keep that in mind, now go visit your friend or something."

Banjo gave a thumbs up at Kazooie, who rolled her eyes and went back to watching TV. As Banjo opens the door to depart on his way, he takes one last look at his breegull friend with a slight expression of endearment. 

"I'm so glad I have a friend I can depend on all the time," the honey bear sighed. "I don’t know what I'd do without her…"

Banjo and Kazooie had been on a lot of adventures together. Without her, he wouldn’t have been able to save his sister from the evil witch Gruntilda, or revive his friend Bottles, who taught everything they needed to know to help with their journeys. All their hard work paid off, and it would all be a waste were something to cause the duo to split apart.

Banjo firmly shuts the door and takes a hard sniff at the fresh outside air and gives out a deep sigh.

He starts to run his way out of the house towards the spiral-shaped mountain and takes a turn to the left, heading up towards the three platforms on the side of the cliff. He takes a jump onto the first platform, then another jump onto the second, but the third one was separated from the other two by a small waterfall. Banjo knew he'd have to put in more effort into his hops as now he didn't have Kazooie to help him gain enough air to easily hop on to the next platform. He decided at this moment to just wing it, take a leap of faith, and hopefully get onto the platform. He lowered his knees, storing energy and then released all of it. Banjo could not jump far enough to land by foot, but his hand managed to hold onto the edge. Unexpectedly, his forward momentum caused him to accidentally lose his grip and fall onto the body of water below.

He quickly swims up to the surface and spits out the water caught in his mouth. Banjo paddles all the way back to the start of the platforms and tries to jump through the platforms again. This time, he gains a running start through the first two, and then he takes a giant leap, his hands grabbing the edge of the third platform again. The momentum swayed him again, but now he had a much tighter grip, allowing him to keep hold of the rock. With all his strength, he forces himself onto the top.

Banjo huffed and panted and rested himself for a bit before continuing to scale the cliff. He then climbed a ladder that led to the upper cliff of the waterfall, and once he finished, he once again leaps onto the edge of the top and lifts himself up. There was a trail that lead to a small, narrow and dark path. He followed the trail through and he could see the end, but when he got there, he saw that it led to a bigger trail that stretched a good way ahead.

_Well, this is going to be a doozy,_ thought the bear in annoyance. He dared not question any complaints he might have had, as he did not want to waste any more of his time, so he cleared his mind of any thoughts and started running on his way.

* * *

After running for what seemed like hours on end, Banjo now finds himself standing on the same trail of gravel in an area surrounded by what seemed like acres of trees going on for miles. He turns to look around his surroundings, but all he sees is only trees, trees, and more trees. He slows down, the sound of his footsteps now mellow like raindrops as the soles of his bare feet trod along the rocky path. The silent rustling of the leaves on the trees against the soft and cool breeze, patches of clouds spread beautifully across the vast, bright and blue sky, and the sun illuminating the ambiance around him and capturing a beautiful shadow picture of his well-maintained shape. He takes a deep breath, smelling the fresh scent of the outside air. The brown honey bear was deeply absorbed in the beauty of his surroundings as he continued to walk, admiring everything around him until he felt something bump onto his chest. Banjo took a slight glance and immediately recognized it. It was a little squirrel with orange fur and a sky blue hooded sweatshirt.

"Hey, watch where you’re going, you big—" The squirrel’s eyes widened as he looked up to face the bear. 

"Wait… Banjo?"

"Conker…?"

"It’s you… i-it’s really you… What are you doing here?"

"I came all the way here just to see you!"

A smile grew on Banjo's face as he picked up the little squirrel and locked him in a tight embrace. The hug was so tight that Conker could not breathe from the intense pressure. Conker gives the bear a pat on the back before Banjo lets go of him. 

"Sorry, I was just so excited to see you again!" Banjo exclaimed.

"Well, I can see that."

The bear could not contain his excitement over finally seeing his old friend after what had been a decade of separation. "Gosh, I have so many things to ask you about, I don't know where to start!"

Conker gives Banjo a hard pat on the arm. "Well, then why don't you follow me back over to my place? I can answer your questions on the way."

"Oh, sure! I'd be glad to follow you along!" the bear replied ecstatically as he went after Conker, who was already ahead on his way.

"Say, you look like you haven’t even changed one bit! Well, aside from the jacket, I guess, but otherwise, you look the same as before!"

"Well, I didn’t really do much since I left. Maybe put on a couple pounds here and there, but aside from going outside to drink a few times, I never left my house most of the time. What about you? What have you been doing all these years?"

"Well, after Diddy and others broke up, I was all alone until-"

"Wait," Conker interrupted. "You guys don’t go racing anymore? I thought you’d still hang out with those crazy morons."

"Well, no. Everyone decided that it was getting kind of boring; everyone kept winning the same places and knew all the courses. Not only that, some of us were getting too busy with other things to race. So one day, all the racers gathered together and talked about if we wanted to continue racing or not. We all decided that we break up and move on ahead with our lives."

"Anyway, when the group broke up, I was left on my own, aside from my little sister… Then it all changed when I met Kazooie. We’ve been through a lot of adventures together ever since, and I couldn’t have made it through most of them without her help. She and I are best buds, and nothing could keep us apart!"

"That must have been fun," Conker deadpanned and rolled his eyes, "can’t wait to meet this person…"

As the two walk on, they see themselves caught hinting a glance upon one another. Not a single word came out from their mouths. The silence between them stirred an awkward aura as they walked along the rocky path.

To break the quietness, Banjo began to speak up.

"So...what have you been up to recently?"

"Eh, y’know, I’ve been here and there most of the time, just looking around and recollecting my thoughts. Maybe even went out to the local bar to get myself a drink now and then."

So he really has been drinking after all… Poor guy, what has he been through to end up like this…?

Banjo continued to stare at Conker with concern — he wasn’t the little squirrel the bear had once known. Years and years of pain and suffering would turn him from a lighthearted and fun creature to a miserable, tortured soul with nothing left of that familiar childlike innocence. Banjo immediately turned to face Conker as he continued to make small talk to ease the silence.

"Oh, yeah, how are things going with you and Berri lately?"

Conker’s heart had nearly stopped at the sound of those words as flashbacks of Berri’s last breaths played in his mind. He was once more reminded of the loneliness he dwelled in back in his throne. Every time that someone would make even the slightest remark about his late girlfriend, the more that his heart would continue to ache, longing for that someone to come up to him and hug him with open arms. Conker tried putting these feelings aside many times in the past, only to break down minutes later.

"Hey, Conker… you all right there, buddy?" the bear asked worriedly, resting a hand on the squirrel's shoulder.

Conker snapped his head up as he was pulled back into reality to answer Banjo’s question.

"Oh, uh, yeah, we’re doing all right. We haven’t been going out together as much as we used to, but I think the love’s still there."

The bear and the squirrel arrive at the edge of Conker’s hometown. A dark wooden signpost stood in front of them, with lettering that read 'Panther Kingdom' and a warning under, saying 'ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.' Up at the very distance is a castle situated atop a hill.

"Well, here we are," Conker said as they stopped. "Say, I haven't officially taken you here yet... I was planning to give you a tour of the place years ago, but I guess I didn't have the time, huh? But I assume that you've already got a good look around from yesterday, so-"

"Wait, you saw me running yesterday?"

"Wait, that was you? I thought I was just seeing things because I was hungover. What were you doing around here?"

"Oh, me and Kazooie were on our way here to collect a few random Jiggies around. We were running low on them, and we had collected every single one near us, so we had to look here. The ones here weren’t that hard to find, and were mostly outside the place, so I didn’t really get a good look around town."

"Jiggies, eh? From what I’ve heard, if they’re arranged together properly, one can travel from one location to another in a second."

"Yup! Anyway, just as I was around, I saw you outside of what looked like an old building. That was actually the first time I’ve seen you in years! I’ve always wanted to visit and talk to you for a long time now, but I didn’t want to bother the relationship between you and Berri…"

"Well, I mean, hey, you were always welcome to visit me all those years. Could have had another drinking buddy with me, heh…" Conker playfully elbowed the slightly bigger and taller bear.

"No, thanks, I'm not one to get drunk on alcohol."

"Well, your loss."

The squirrel then offered his hand out to Banjo, waiting for his. "So, want me to give you the tour of the land? We can explore and look around like old times."

Banjo turned his head and put his hand behind to scratch his neck. 

"Gosh, I…" A subtle blush was visible from the now flustered honey bear as he gladly accepted the offer and took Conker’s hand. "I’d be delighted to!"

The two began to walk again with Conker leading the way, but for a few seconds, they didn’t notice that their hands still clutched together tightly.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that," said Conker, slowly releasing his grip on Banjo’s hand.

"No, no, it's fine." Banjo said, putting down his hand.

After that, the two continued to walk. Conker takes a moment to collect his feelings and thoughts.

_There was something about that moment. I don’t know why, but it just seemed odd. I could feel something just by holding his hand, and it’s nothing like I’ve felt before…_

As Banjo and Conker take their stroll, they were drawn to the many beauties that surround them. The almost quiet chirping of birds, the sound of trees rustling, the sun shining brightly among them…

Among the slight distance was a rushing current of water, headed downstream towards a river. The river had crossed their pathway, and a bridge was built to go over it. It was a little aged, though, as the once brightly new paint had now worn away with time.

Suddenly, a butterfly was fluttering along their path in front of the bear and squirrel. Banjo lifted his hand and held out a finger for the butterfly to land on.

"Hey, look, Conker, it’s a butterfly!

The bear admired its vibrant wings and tiny size. He gave out a small giggle as the little creature's legs' delicate touch had tickled his finger.

"Do you think Berri would have liked this here little fella? Oh, it's so small and colorful, of course she would have!"

Indeed, she would have liked the little butterfly. At least, she would've liked it back when she and Conker were young. But he knew that Berri had long since passed that stage of being the innocent sunflower she was before. It all changed that one rainy day.

* * *

_The clouds turned the once bright sky a dark, gloomy grey. Harsh winds, crashing sounds of thunder and flashes of lightning were out for the two young rodents. They were hurriedly returning to their home, running as fast on their two feet as they could, when suddenly, Berri's foot got caught on a root sticking out from the ground, causing her to trip and fall to the ground. This caught Conker's eye immediately, and he quickly tried to run back to save her._

_"Conker, help me!" cried the little brunette, her hand trying to reach her boyfriend._

_"Berri!" Conker ran back as fast as he could, but by the time he had tried to grab her hand, he would witness something he could never unsee._

_A bolt of lightning flashed down from the heavens, and at Berri's exact position, struck through her like a skewer. The force of the blast seemed too much for her to live, much less utter a single sound._

_As she lay drop-dead on the ground, Conker hurried over to Berri and her unconscious and seemingly lifeless body._

_"No, no, no! This can’t be happening…"_

_He picked her up and turned her over to see that a dark, black soot covered her in that rubbed off her fur easily. Conker tried to get the young girl back up on her feet._

_"Berri, wake up! It’s me, your boyfriend! Please wake up, don’t leave me here like this!"_

_Suddenly, Berri’s finger had twitched slightly. Conker placed her carefully onto the ground below. The chipmunk attempted to move her muscles to get up, albeit almost unsuccessfully. She felt weak from the strike and could not endure trying to get up in less than a second. Conker offered his help and picked her hand up to get her to sit up properly._

_Berri let out a soft groan. "What happened…?"_

_"Well, you tripped on something on the ground, and I tried to help you up, but the next thing I knew, you were-" As Conker was trying to answer her question, he reconsidered if he wanted to tell her what happened. "You know what, we should probably get back home quick before something bad happens."_

_Conker picked Berri up again and this time, he kept her safely cradled behind his back. The red squirrel started to make his way home towards an open patch of the woods, and in it alone sat a village settlement far away from its neighbors. It was a home to a few local people, most of which were in the form of acorns. It also had a tall windmill at the very centre, serving as a point of reference for its settlers to find their way back. _

_As they arrived at the town, Conker headed straight home to the central hut that was just a little way ahead of the windmill._

_When the two sciurids finally entered their house, they were soaking wet from the heavy rain that followed them through. They allowed themselves to let the water drip onto their door mat for at least a few times. _

_As the water dripped, Conker noticed that the soot on Berri from the strike had completely washed away by the rain. However, he found that from where the lightning made contact, there was a little patch of grey fur forming on her back. It soon spread to other parts of her body, the once bright beige on her skin lost of all its saturation. _

_Berri found this out herself a few minutes later after coming out of the bathroom from a long shower, and suddenly the couple found themselves in a dilemma over how to reverse the color change._

_Days later, they resorted to finding a solution to their problem, and they ended up seeking counsel from a local shaman in a faraway part of the forest. The shaman had a short and stout figure, but was no less short than the two squirrels. He appeared to have a skull that covered his whole head, and he held a magic scepter with a ruby-eyed skull and feathers extending out of it._

_When they arrived at the skull-shaped hut, the two squirrels approached the shaman who sat upon a handmade wooden throne. The shaman gets up from his chair and walks towards them._

_"So, squirrel and chipmunk have come for Mumbo Jumbo's help," the strange man introduced himself. "Tell Mumbo, what is the problem?"_

_"Hey Mumbo, can you please help my girlfriend here? Her fur had suddenly turned grey over a few days ago!" Conker shows Berri to Mumbo, turning her all around to show her dark pale body. _

_"Hmm," Mumbo pondered, glancing at the grey chipmunk, "let Mumbo examine little grey one. Come, come, we must not haste."_

_Conker and Berri followed the skull-headed shaman into a room with a simple bed platform on top of a carpeted floor. At the back of the room was a bookshelf that contained all the guides on how to use magic for healing benefits, and next to it, a nice and comfortable wooden chair._

_"Now, grey one, lie down on bed. Mumbo check body for sign of damage." _

_Berri does as told and lies on the platform. Berri stares at her partner in fear that something will happen to her. "Conker, I'm scared..."_

_Conker reassures her and holds her hand, saying, "It's okay, everything will be all right, I promise."_

_Mumbo holds his scepter with the skull just inches above Berri. The ruby eyes on his scepter faintly began to glow, and Mumbo moved it back and forth as they glowed brighter and brighter. "Oh...oh no, this not good, this not good at all!"_

_"What is it, Mumbo?" Conker asked with an uneasy voice. "What happened to her?"_

_"You tell Mumbo, what happened before you and grey one come to Mumbo for help?"_

_"Well, we tried to get home quickly, but Berri tripped on a root, and before I knew it, a lightning bolt struck her in the back!"_

_Mumbo let out a sudden gasp of realization as his scepter glowed a very bright red. "Young red one, that not lightning, it giant burst of pure magic! Mumbo magic scepter can feel magic residue in grey one's body!"_

_"Is there anyway you can get her back to the way she was? You're a professional magic healer, right?"_

_"Mumbo indeed powerful in magic, but this magic out of Mumbo's abilities! Mumbo seen nothing like it!"_

_"Will this potentially cause her any harm?"_

_"Mumbo can see that residue made of dark magic, very powerful source, but not enough in grey one body to hurt her much. It only mean she will experience sharp pain in back from time to time. Red one lucky that grey one make it out alive and heal from heavy damage..."_

* * *

Ever since that incident, Conker would never forget what happened that day, as it served as a turning point in his life down a road full of alcohol, trauma and self-pity. He'd never speak of it to anyone, let alone Berri herself. It filled him with shock to learn that his girlfriend would never truly heal from her severe wound and that the two of them would never be the same. He wanted to keep Berri happy and well, even if it meant having to shelter her from the truth for as long as he lived.

"...Conker?" Banjo asked the squirrel yet again, "is everything okay?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, I'm doing fine. Yeah, I'm sure she would've liked the little guy..." Conker said, having only paid attention to the first question.

"Okay, but just letting you know, this is the second time you've spaced out today."

Banjo and Conker continued to walk through the trail, crossing the aforementioned bridge.

Conker looked up at the sky above him. It was a nice and chill yet vibrant blue; the clouds gathered in clumps as they decorated it. The sun shone vividly at the edge of the blue sky, projecting beautiful dark images onto the ground.

"Damn, it's actually quite a nice day out, I should start going out more at a time like this..." the red squirrel thought out loud, although his voice was no louder than the sound of their footsteps.

"I know, right? It really gives you a moment to think and gain peace of mind, doesn't it?" the honey bear added.

"Yeah, I'd agree." Conker took a deep breath in and sighed.

The squirrel slowed down when he approached a sign, and signaled Banjo to stop. The sign read, "Windy Valley" with a warning under it that said, "Watch your step!"

Ahead of them, the path led downhill into a wide grassland valley surrounded by a giant rock structure that acted as a wall. At the center of it sat a windmill on top of a mountain structure that Banjo knew all too well.

"Look familiar to you?" hinted Conker at the bear, having him notice that the valley resembled a lot like Spiral Mountain; the bright and open grassland, the body of water around the mountain, as well as the flowing waterfall.

"Yeah, it does..." Banjo said, baffled by how much it reminded him of home.

"Well, want me to show you around?" Conker offered Banjo, this time, his hands remained in his pockets as he asked.

"Of course, let's go!" Banjo exclaimed as he made his way in, with Conker following suit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, after MORE THAN A MONTH, Chapter 3 is now here.
> 
> As you can see, Banjo is now on his way to see his old friend after so many years. The two eventually meet and exchange details about what had happened to them throughout their lives as they head towards Conker's homeland.
> 
> I actually had to split this chapter in two because it was getting too long at this point. Must have gotten too ambitious, heh. 
> 
> I've been busy with a lot of things as usual, but I try to make sure I get these things done on time. I already have a good chunk of Chapter 4 going on, so I'll try to get that done as soon as possible.
> 
> Anyways, thank you all to those keeping up with me so far, If you liked what you've read so far, make sure to leave a kudos at the end of the chapter! Until the next chapter, I hope to see you all next time! Peace ;)
> 
> **EDIT:** Ugghh, this is so hard for me to get done with all sorts of busy stuff I've got going on. But I assure you that I will still be working on this, and I've already got the beginning and end for chapter 4, so consider this a hiatus ;)
> 
> For those who are still waiting to this day, thank you, and please, stick with me as we see what goes on for these two mascots _as their journey continues..._


	4. I’m Here (Part 1)

As the two old friends walked right into the heart of Windy Valley, they took the time to notice many of its fine features, such as the spiral hill and its windmill, standing tall and proud. But some of them weren’t worth giving honourable mentions to, like the giant mound of dung that sat way out back of the valley, mostly for…personal reasons.

Banjo beamed with the eagerness to explore everything he saw. He was amazed with how much he felt at home here; the matching scenery along with animated objects that would normally be inanimate hit close. Although the bear never liked to venture out of his house much, he always took the time to take everything in when he did.

Conker, on the other hand, kept mostly to himself. His expression is one that seemed like he’d already seen everything, and to him, he already had. His hands were tucked in his pockets as he stared blankly at the sky. He didn’t have anything specific in mind, letting his thoughts drift around as he followed Banjo along. 

"So what’s to see here?" asked the bear as he looked around for places to visit.

_Certainly not the pile of poo that’s sitting over there,_ mumbled the squirrel. 

"Ooh, how about the brown mountain over there? Come on, let’s go!"

Conker rolled his eyes and sighed. _Oh, boy, we’re doing this…_

They turned right past the 'nasty/nice' signpost and were heading for the mountain of poo, when they were suddenly greeted by Mrs. Bee, who just happened to come out of her hive for a nice stroll.

"Why, hello there, Mr. Squir— I mean, Your Majesty," greeted the royal apian.

The squirrel cringed at the title she gave him. "Oh, hello there, Mrs. Bee."

"I just want to say thank you for the reinforcements you’ve given us to protect our hive."

_'Our?' Who else can live in that tiny old thing? Look at her!_ "Well, I only did it so you'd stop bothering me about getting it stolen again."

"Oh, just how could we ever repay you for your honourable actions?"

Conker thought about it for a while. His first instinct was to go for the money, but he was a king now, and he had plenty of that back at home. He had everything, and literally EVERYTHING.

"Eh, I got nothing in mind," the squirrel shrugged.

"Surely, there must be something I can offer you," the bee insisted.

"No, not really," Conker dismissed.

"How about weapons?"

"No."

"Food?"

"Got plenty."

"Money?"

"What am I, a beggar?"

"Perhaps a trade agreement?"

Conker considered that final offer. He knew nothing when it came to politics, but he somehow knew that it would benefit the economic state of the whole kingdom; it all looked like it was crumbling to dust anyway.

"Hmm, sure," the squirrel agreed, albeit with minor reluctance.

"Very well then. Oh, by the way, who’s this burly, handsome man over here?"_ Oh boy, here we go..._

"Hi, my name’s Banjo," the honey bear greeted himself. He offered to shake the bee’s hand, but seeing as how that was a problem, he shook one of her legs instead. "I’m Conker’s friend, nice to meet you!"_ Wait, who said I was still your fri–_

"Ooh, such manners! You could learn a thing or two from him, young ma— er, Your Maj—"

"Don’t bother correcting yourself, we’ll be on our way," the squirrel interrupted. "Come on, Banjo, let’s go on with the tour, shall we?" _Geez, can’t she ever shut her mouth for just one second? No wonder the king left her for another woman._

As the bear was dragged off on their way, he quickly pulled Conker back for a minute. "You never told me you were a king! Congratulations, buddy!"

Conker pulled out his signature crown from somewhere on his sky-coloured jacket. "Yeah, so? What about it?"

"I never knew you were part of a royal family!"

"I’m not. It just so happened that no one was sitting on the throne, so I took the opportunity for myself." Conker knew he was lying. He didn’t really take the throne for himself; he was forced to sit upon it by his subjects against his own will. He didn’t know what he was up for when he defeated the professor’s alien mutant experiment at the throne room.

"That wasn’t really very nice, but how were you able to do it?"

"Meh, basically took the wrong way home one time, explored around - you know, as I do. One thing lead to another, and suddenly I find myself crowned king of the land."

"Well, I’m sure it must’ve been fun to go on that–"

"Oh yeah, not to mention I lost some good men along the way."

"Oh. Sorry you had to go through that." The bear patted the crowned squirrel on the back.

"It’s fine. The only kind of good they were was the fact that they fought an evil army made by the former local mad scientist working at the castle or something."

"Well, that sounded like a long and interesting journey you’ve been through."

"I can tell you more when we get to my place, so better keep that mouth shut and hang on for the ride."

Banjo simply nodded and followed Conker along, continuing their way up the back of the mountain.

* * *

After dealing with a few dung beetles who didn’t act kindly towards the squirrel king and bear, they arrived at the fork, one way being the entrance to the huge mound where the former legendary "Great Mighty Poo" once dwelled, and the other was a long tunnel leading to a barnyard. As they came closer, Banjo could detect the foul stench coming from the fecal matter inside the compound.

"Awh, what’s that awful smell?" the bear covered his nose to protect himself.

"Why, that would be from our top-of-the-line sewage department," Conker joked. "We’re very modern, I know."

Just then, an idea popped up in the squirrel’s head.

"Hey, uh, why don’t we save our noses for now and come with me over here?" He dragged Banjo once more into the other entrance, where upon reaching the other side, there was a barn that sat in the centre, along with a yard for cheese, a moat, and, well, that was it… except for a certain someone over at the back. 

She was gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. It was no surprise the King Bee left that old skank for her; her smooth, slim figure, her plump curves, her ginormous, round melons…

_"Hey there, back for more of these?" she teased with her huge breasts._

Conker was entranced in her seductive actions; the way her tits swung back and forth between her arms, the way she looked down at him with admiration, the tone of her voice sprouted nothing in him but lust and arousal. 

As the squirrel limped towards her, his mind went delirious when the tall figure eventually took the form of someone he knew too well. His enamoured grin faded as he stared upon the spitting image of Berri herself. She stared back at him with disappointment, her hand on her hip, leaning to one side. 

It felt awkward for Conker to look at her in the eyes, but no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't peer his eyes away from her.

Conker blinked to see Berri now pointing towards the left with her thumb. At first, he couldn’t understand what she was doing, but then he turned his head to the left as indicated and there was Banjo, waiting for him up ahead. As he snapped back to reality, he shook his head and took one last look at Berri and saw that she was gone. The sunflower, taking her place, looked at him strangely as Conker was still staring at her.

"Oh. Sorry about that," the squirrel apologized and ran off to meet with Banjo near the barn. _Geez,_ _what’s going on with me today? _

Banjo turned around and noticed the short squirrel. "Oh, you’re here! Come on, buddy, let’s go inside!"

As they entered the barn, the floor beneath them looked clean, as it had newly been renovated after the incident with the Haybot from his 21st. There, they met Franky the Pitchfork and his other friends, Reg and Ron. 

"Oh, why, it’s Mr. Squirrel! Fancy seein’ you here!" _Out of all the old people who didn’t call me 'Your Majesty' around here, it’s him…_

"Hey, Franky. Noticed I don’t see you around much." And I’d rather it stay that way.

Franky's steps clanked against the floor as he hopped towards Conker. "Well, after living around for a while, we decided that the castle life wasn’t really for us, so we moved back here! There’s just no place like home!"

"Uh, yeah, heheh, there sure is no other place like home…"

He missed his old house that sat in the outskirts of town; specifically, he missed living with someone _in_ that house. Before the whole 'losing your girlfriend' and the 'being crowned king of the land' thing happened, he had someone to come home to. He had someone who waited for him at the end of the day to spend the rest of his time with. Everything was simple back then; he had his own place in life, he had his friends, and he had Berri. In the end, he got everything a guy like him could have, but he also had to leave everything behind to gain it. In the end, it's just not what he wanted after all.

Even he himself knows that.

"So anyway, what's the reason you—" Franky turned to Banjo, and oh, my, was he mesmerized the second he looked at the bear that stood in front of him. "Well, well, well, who’s this chiseled hunk towerin’ on top o’ me?"

"I’m Banjo, nice to meet you," the bear said yet again.

"Ooh, well mannered, too! I like this guy, he’s welcome in this barn anytime!"

Franky’s mates were bawling out of laughter as they witnessed their friend make a huge fool of himself. 

"Hey, Franky’s over here checking out that tall guy!" the paint pot told his friend.

"He’s never been like this since 20 years ago!" the paintbrush added. 

The two paint tools kept laughing in the background, much to Franky’s chagrin. They knew of Franky’s proclivities when it came to men, especially of ones with a body type similar to that of Banjo's. 

"So anyways, what’re you doin’ around these parts, Mr. Squirrel?" the pitchfork asked.

"Nothing important," Conker answered, slapping Banjo’s back. "This guy just wanted to see what’s inside this barn."

"Aw, well, ain’t that cute, the big ol’ bear’s come to look at my barn. Say, I remember a guy like you came here ‘round 20 years ago. I had the hots for him, and seeing how you look so much like him, I guess I still do." The pitchfork swooned at the thought of the guy he remembered a long time ago.

Conker rolled his eyes as he waited for Franky to stop talking. _Gee, I wonder who it could be…_

Franky hopped around Banjo as he stared at every point he could explore. "Damn, boy, that’s a fine body, I’d stick my big fork right up in him anytime! Heck, since he’s so big himself, I’d let him stick his right up in me!"

"Ya haven’t even got a hole for him to go through, ya stupid moron!" his friend yelled.

"Shut your damn ass up, I’ve got a mouth and that’s good enough!" the pitchfork shot back.

Franky rambled on about how "big and charming" Banjo was, even going as far as to say he looked like a statue brought to life, and made many, _many_ innuendos, which made the bear cringe with embarrassment, and even Conker with disgust. At that point, their minds came together and decided that they wanted to leave.

"Let’s get out of here while we still can, yeah?" Conker suggested as he began to step back towards the barn door. 

"Yeah, I’m not liking it here anymore…" Banjo slowly stepped away from the pitchfork and as he met Conker at the door, they both made a break for it. They quickly scurried out the barn until they stopped to take breaths. 

Conker panted. "God, they told me he was bent, but they didn’t tell me he was THIS bent! You know what, let’s just get out of here altogether before he comes for you again." 

They dashed toward the exit and upon reaching the other side, they were again greeted by the smell of the hill of excrement. 

Just then, one of the servants from the castle was making their way uphill towards the two. When he finally arrived, he panted, exhausted after having travelled at least a few miles from his post to bring a message.

"Sir Conker," the servant began. Can everyone stop with these fancy titles? I’m not that special. "Your friends say to return to the castle right away."

"Hold on, can’t we stay here for a few more minutes?" the squirrel replied. 

"Sire, they request that you come back right now. They said they haven’t seen you around the castle lately." 

The squirrel stopped him for a moment. "Wait, who exactly said that?"

"The military general, sir."

_Of course it’s Rodent, that’s such a Rodent thing to do. Then again, he has a point; if I’m not there to run the land, who else will?_

"Welp, I guess we’ll have to cut this tour short. Hey, at least you get to see my place now, right?" the squirrel told Banjo. 

"I’m excited to see it," Banjo replied with a smile on his face. 

And with that being said, they started walking, heading towards Conker’s home castle. The entire journey there was completely silent, except for a few moments where Banjo tried to engage in small talk, to which the squirrel replied with only simple answers like "it’s fine" or "cool". 

* * *

"Golly, that’s a huge castle!" Banjo marveled as the two stood in front of the tall structure in front of them.

Two guards immediately come and point their weapons at Banjo. "Those spears are quite sharp," the bear said, touching the tip of the spear with his finger. 

"Who are you?" one of the guards interrogated the bear.

"And what business do you have with our king?" the other added.

"Woah, woah, woah, guys, relax, he's with me," the squirrel stopped the two guards. "Go back to your posts and tell them to open the gate."

The two weasel guards returned to their original positions as told. The gates were slowly separated until the entrance was fully open, letting Banjo and Conker through. 

As they entered the castle’s interior, the gates were slowly sealed shut, making a loud clanking noise.

**_To be continued... (next chapter)_**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 months of work, and I had to split it again. Who knows, maybe it helps with the flow of the story. I just hope to God that I’ll be able to stick to a consistent schedule. <s>I’m very bad with time management pls don’t attack me</s>
> 
> Anyway, here’s chapter 4! Banjo gets a tour of Conker’s kingdom <s>(it’s just the barn what are you talking about)</s> and meets a couple of his townfolk, and now he’s about to get a look at Conker’s castle! Just note that chapter 3, this, and the upcoming chapter 5 are all parts of one arc. 
> 
> And to those asking: _yes, the pitchfork is gay. Don’t ask how I know that._
> 
> So yeah, leave a kudos, comments, bookmarks, recommend this, whatever you like. The upcoming Chapter 5 will end off the 'trilogy' of this (arc?)! Things are about to turn, and not for the better…
> 
> Meanwhile, I’mma just take break for a while and relax. Till next time, everyone, peace out! (nfl theme plays in full blast, fading as I leave only to hit the wall beside the door before I go out)


	5. I'm Here (Part 2)

The castle was tall as its spires reached all the way up the sky. A grandiose royal fortress with a surrounding wall to keep outsiders at bay.

  
There were only 4 floors in the entire building, with 3 complete stories and the central tower, which served as the throne room. The highest of the stories was an entire separate floor with the king’s bedroom which could not fit in the lower floors due to its massive size. To compensate, the floors below it accommodated most of the important rooms in the giant castle.

  
As the two walked through the red carpet beneath them, Banjo gazed at the interior of the castle in awe. It was nothing he’d ever before witnessed. "Wow, this place is HUGE! How do you manage to live with so much space?"

  
"Eh, at first, it may seem like such a large castle with a bunch of rooms, but as time goes on, you just kinda know where everything is and it kinda just shrinks on ya."

  
"Alright, well, do you have any specific rules for me I should follow? Like, are there any rooms I shouldn't go into?"

  
"No, not really. By all means, make yourself at home, but right after I give you a look-see around, alright?" The bear nodded. 

  
Conker was just about to head up the large staircase to the second floor when in the corner of his eye, Banjo had his eyes set on a piece of armour right beside the staircase. He looked still, eyeing the piece as if it had reminded him of something. 

  
"Hey, Banjo, quit ogling at that pile of plates and let’s get movin', alright?" The squirrel called him over, immediately grabbing the bear’s attention. 

  
"Oh, okay, buddy!" Banjo starts following the squirrel as they climbed the first flight of stairs. They stopped somewhere halfway through the middle portion as it split into two directions leading to two separate corridors.

  
"So, what’ll it be? Left or right?" 

  
The corridor to the left held a small lounge usually meant for the servants (how suprising, considering how menacing and merciless the previous king was supposed to be), but since Conker could fit (unlike the previous king and his massive height and diameter), he’d go in on his own personal time and sometimes try to read one of the many fiction books in the room’s collection, only to end up watching the television for shows among other things such as the news. 

  
At the corridor on the right sat the old study room which housed the largest selection of informational books in the entire land. No one knew for sure why it was there in the first place. Perhaps the old king himself had a taste for knowledge? Not that even Conker himself knew the reason, but he never cared enough about it to find out. Maybe he should take a trip and explore it one day, who knows what he could find? 

  
Banjo looked at both sides. "Hmm, I think I’ll take the one on the left."

  
They walked up the staircase towards the left corridor, and when they reached the top, they began to scroll through the hall, the walls covered with paintings and illustrations of the former kings that had ruled the land for centuries. Conker settled on one of them: a large portrait on the wall of a black panther in a robe and the title below it that read "The Great Alfonso I (and probably the only) from the land of the Panthers". Conker’s heard fairy tales and folk myths from the people he grew up with about how the Panther King came to rule back in his younger days, but those days have long since passed, and so did that king.

  
Looking at it, Conker reminisced his first encounter with the colossal, frightful king. He never thought he’d get the chance to see the one feared and made legends of by everyone he knew. The black panther was many times the squirrel’s height, and the latter was just the right size to fit with the former’s missing leg for his milk table. He had only lured Conker in for that specific purpose.

  
It was at that time that the Panther King ordered for Berri, Conker’s one and only, to be put down.

  
_"...Such loyalty…misplaced!..."_

  
Even long after the old king had passed, those words leeched their way into the squirrel’s mind. It made him think about her and whether or not he deserved everything she had given him; her trust, her loyalty, her p— I mean, her body— wait, that doesn’t make it any—

  
It wasn’t the first time he asked himself this, but it brought the subject upon his greater attention. And he certainly knew that this wouldn’t be the last time either. 

  
Conker felt a sudden tap on his shoulder and jolted as he was taken by surprise, only to find out it was just Banjo. "Please, don’t do that again."

  
"Oh, sorry about that. Uh, anyway, are you okay? You seemed to be kinda focused on this picture."

  
"Oh, yeah, just lookin’ at this guy over here," the squirrel said as he glanced back to the portrait.

  
"Who is this guy anyway?" the bear asked, curious about the figure in the portrait.

  
"He’s just one of the old kings who’ve come and gone."

  
"Then why are there so many pictures of him specifically?"

  
"What are you talking abo— _oh…_" Conker looked around to see the rest of the illustrations on the walls were of the Panther King himself. Must’ve had a huge enough ego to replace the previous ones. "I mean, the guy’s been here for at least a few centuries up until what happened recently, so you can fill in the lines yourself. Come on, let's make our way to the room over there and rest our legs." 

  
They continued to walk down the hall into the lounge room that awaited them, and sat down on the couches laid nicely within it.

  
"Ah, finally, after all that walking," the squirrel sighed in relaxation as he wiggled his toes. "Can barely feel the bottom of my feet..."

  
Conker groaned as his legs ached from walking all the way from the valley. He positioned himself so that he could lie down on the couch comfortably and closed his eyes, looking as if he were about to fall asleep. He could slowly feel himself losing touch with reality with each second until he was suddenly woken up by a voice.

  
"So, uh, what exactly happened on your way to becoming king?" the bear suddenly asked. "You never really gave me an honest answer back at the valley earlier."

  
"That's...actually kind of a personal question, and I don't want to have the chance to bring it up in conversation." Conker replied, trying to sort of dodge the touchy topic in any way possible. "So I'm just gonna say that a lot of things happened, Banjo. And they weren't good ones..."

  
"Oh, well, sorry for asking about it, then," Banjo apologized. "Forget that one, uhm, where's Berri? I'm surprised I haven't seen her all day."

  
Conker's eyes and ears perked up when he heard Banjo's question. "Wait, who now?"

  
"Berri. You know, your... girlfriend? Shouldn't she be around here with you?"

  
Oh, right, her. Surprised he still remembers. He only had a second to make up a quick lie and hopefully dismiss the topic altogether. "Uh, she went off somewhere on a vacation."

  
"Oh. Well, where is she at now?" Banjo asked another question, remaining oblivious to Conker's lie.

  
"She's...travelling around places, uh, yeah." the squirrel elaborated further on his made-up curve from the truth. "She said she wanted to go out for a while, so she took the time to plan a trip around the world for herself." 

  
"Okay, well, I wish her good luck on her travels and I hope she gets back here safely."

  
"Yeah, me too, heheh..." Conker forced a chuckle to try to shake off the weird aura around him he was getting, only to regret it immediately, knowing it would've given him away. "Anyway, let's get on with the tour, shall we-"

  
"Hey now, we only just got here, we can't leave," the bear whined. "Why don't you sit back down and relax, and we can watch some TV? You look like you've been through a lot lately. Come on, you can even sit with me right here!" Banjo moved over one seat to the right and patted the seat he was previously sitting on.

  
"Alright, fine, but only because my feet are still tired." Conker sighed and sat back down on his seat as Banjo grabbed the remote and turned on the television. He flipped through channels, trying to find something for them to watch, and then settled on a family-style sitcom that was on air at the moment. 

  
And here they were, watching TV; something they both hadn't done together in a long time. Conker sat back and inwardly braced for the most cheesiest lines and quotes he'd ever witness...

* * *

"That was the most awful thing I've ever watched," said Conker, rubbing his eyes from the eyestrain of watching TV for an hour as they walked out the room.

  
"Come on, you don't like classic sitcoms? They really lighten the mood, you know."

  
The squirrel huffed. "They're just not for me, okay? I like real stuff, like documentaries and the news." 

  
Banjo shrugged. "Well, your loss, buddy."

  
Exiting the corridor, they entered the castle lobby again, this time, making their way toward the other corridor. As they expected, it was filled with more portraits of the late King Alfonso, although with an exception in the far side of the corridor. It was of a weasel, similar in form to the weasel servants around the castle, in a custom-made hovering chair with 3 of his limbs dismembered, his legs amputated and his left arm completely replaced with a mechanical prosthetic. Under it, a tiny plaque was labeled on it: "Professor Friedrich von Kriplespac, circa 1975." 

  
Conker didn’t know much about the professor, except that he was probably a complete nutjob with his somewhat sociopathic nature and with that one alien experiment back when they were in space.

  
Although, his mother did tell him that the castle actually used to be owned by a similar weasel-like figure called the Weasel King, who lost to King Alfonso in the Milk Wars and was forced to have his legs severed off and sent into exile. It was entirely possible that the two could actually be one and the same; however, that didn't explain what seemed to be an unusually long life span period between the two figures. But then again, even if was true, that wouldn't explain how the Panther King's managed to live for so long as well...

  
"Hey, is it okay if I take a peak inside this room?" Banjo asked as he was about to grab onto a door handle. 

  
To the right of the portrait was a pair of doors that gave way to the castle study, full of shelves that stacked the largest collection of books in the land. The doors creaked loudly as it opened, echoing through the walls within the castle, the squirrel cringing at the sound. "God, we have got to get that fixed."

  
The room had a rich, yet antique scent; it smelled of old paper from the aging pages of the books, collecting dust in the bookshelves throughout the years. 

  
Past the shelves full of rotting books sat a large desk with a stack of paper and a glass containing pens placed neatly on it. 

  
Stroked by a tiny bit of curiosity, the squirrel turns over to Banjo. "Hey, I’ll just check something over here for a bit. You can go look at whatever you want for now." The bear gives out a thumbs up in return.

  
The squirrel quickly ran over and took a little peek at the papers stacked upon the desk, only to see they were empty. He continued searching, and alas found a pile of letters hidden in the drawers.

  
They all seemed to have been written by the nefarious Panther King, albeit with really good penmanship. Gee, for a giant beast like him, he sure had some class. They also seemed to be quite new, as they mostly detailed about recent events, as well as the date entries on them being proof. He carefully placed the letters back in their original position and closed the drawer. Hmm, I should probably read these someday…

  
He wanders out of the desk, looking for something else to distract himself when he came across a wooden door and a small bookcase beside it. The door looked like almost any other normal wooden door in the castle, except that this one didn’t have a handle. Now what would a door like this be doing in this part of the castle? And how would it even open with no handle? Unless…

  
The squirrel starts pulling down on every title in the top shelf of the bookcase. He pulls on the books in pairs and as he pulls on the fifth book to the right, the wooden door slowly slides open to reveal what seems to be an elevator. He took one sneak peek at the interior; it was shiny and glossy with intricate carvings in the wood and a beautifully made carpet design.

  
Conker steps out of the elevator and sees the sliding door close behind him. The book-lever was reset to its original position as the door locked itself. I should take a look at what’s in there someday…

  
He walks away and looks for Banjo among the bookshelves. He catches him in one of the aisles reading a book he picked out. "Hey there, whatcha reading?" the squirrel asked. 

  
As soon as he heard Conker coming, the bear immediately closes the book that was in his hands. "I was just reading this book titled, History of Ursids Around the World. It tells about the history of bears like me from around all over."

  
"Sounds cool, you want it? I can let you borrow it if you want," the squirrel offered. 

  
"It’s fine, I can come by and read this another time," the bear said as he was about to put the book back in the bookshelf. 

  
"No, no, no, I can let you borrow it. Actually, you know what, keep it, I don’t care. Plus, it seems like something you wanted to know more about."

  
"Oh, really? Thanks!" The bear grabs his backpack and places the book safely in it.

  
"Consider it a gift, from me to you. Now why don’t we say we get outta here and head up to our final stop for the tour?" 

  
"Alright, bud, lead the way." The two walk out the room with Banjo carefully closing the doors.

  
"For this one, we’ll have to go all the way around. It’s a pretty huge castle, so bear with me here." The squirrel leads the way, turning right as the hallway extended across, even past the main hall. After walking the entire way, Banjo and Conker stopped to take breaths and rest for a few minutes.

  
"So, wait, are you saying we have to climb those stairs to get all the way to the top?" the bear asked, looking slightly anxiously at the spiral staircase that seemed to stretch up for several metres. 

  
"What else are we going to take, the elevator? Cause we can definitely do that, I’m not taking my time climbing up these stairs." Banjo huffed in relief. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to survive climbing past several flights worth of stairs.

  
"Alright, follow me." Banjo does as told as he was led into a small room just behind the staircase.

  
"Uh, how many floors are there in the castle? I’ve noticed that there are only 3 buttons on here."

  
"Technically 4, but the one we’re going to — that’s the fourth — is way high up at around, I don’t know, 20 stories tall. This is one fast ride, though, so you better hold on tight."

  
The squirrel selects the fourth floor option on the elevator panel. The doors close, the two are suddenly taken up at a super high speed. Banjo almost loses his balance, but he is saved by the railings on the sides of the elevator.

  
Reaching the top floor, the elevator slowed down to a halt as the two arrived safe and sound. The ride seemed to have little effect on Banjo; however, the same couldn't be said for little ol' Conker, who looked like he was about to vomit. The squirrel pulled out an empty paper bag out of his pocket and decided to let it all out. _God, I always keep forgetting how nauseous that feels..._

  
The squirrel tossed the bag of puke onto a bin sitting on the corner of the room, filled with other bags of vomit from each trip up. "Well, here we are. Top floor: the throne room, where anything I say can become law."

  
The setting sun shines eastward through the windows. The doors open as the soft red carpet leads their way. A large padded chair sat all the way back, waiting to seat its owner. To the side of the chair, a table similar in proportion stood, although one of its legs was missing. The throne room’s tone was as quiet as it was somber; all that could be heard was the patting of footsteps and the crackling of torches to combat the dark and gloomy nature of the room. 

  
Arriving at his final destination, the squirrel king plants his rear end firmly on the throne. "Well, welcome to my castle. Everything you see here is all I own. The servants, the land, all of it."

  
Banjo proceeds to step down on his knee and bows down in front of him. "Oh, how lucky I am to be here with you, my king."

  
"No need for the special title, Banjo," the squirrel rejected. "Just calling me by name is fine. I don’t know how long I can take the 'Your Highness' treatment. Oh well, as a king, I can try to change how everyone treats me, but I can’t change how life does. One minute, you’re on your way home, the next, you’re dealing with a giant alien aboard...up in space." 

Conker eyes the head that hung above the pair of doors from whence they entered. It looked extraterrestrial; nothing of it could be seen anywhere in the entire world. But the squirrel knew the name of it all too well: Heinrich. He remembered the first he met the giant creature aboard the spaceship. The Panther King, the professor and assumably, the mafia leader hired as a henchman, had all been sucked into the vacuum of space. However, Berri’s body remained in the ship until Heinrich had pushed it slighty as it was sucked into space along with the others. The two were locked in a fierce battle of survival. Just as Conker made the last move, the alien survived and leapt onto the squirrel, who braced himself until they were suddenly warped into the throne room and continued from there. From then on, it was a fit of survival until he managed to decapitate Heinrich with a katana he found lying in the room. And that was the story of the head that hung above the doors.

"Conker…" the bear called, "…is everything okay?"

Not this question again. "It’s fine, Banjo, there’s nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure? If something’s bothering you, then you can tell me all about it, no judgement."

"I said there’s nothing to worry about." the squirrel insisted, slightly tensing his hands.

Banjo wasn’t convinced. All those times he asked if he was okay was enough proof that there was something he was hiding. "Please, is there something you might want to tell me—" 

"**_I’M FINE, DAMN IT!_** STOP ASKING ME THE SAME DAMN THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN!" the squirrel shouted.

Banjo flinched from the sudden outburst. "Conker, calm down, please, I just want us to talk this out! Just please, tell me what’s going on—"

"Everything’s fine as it is, okay?" he yelled in frustration. "Does that answer your question?"

"That doesn’t tell me anything! I can clearly see that something’s been bothering you lately and I’m not going to let you sit around just to get worse!"

"Why the hell do you care about how I’m doing all of a sudden—"

"Because you and I were friends since the very beginning! Just because we haven’t seen each other for years doesn’t mean I’m not going to be at all concerned!"

The squirrel sighed, scratching his head. "Look, I don’t have the time to waste around talking to you for the whole day. You can already tell I’ve got a lot going on right now, so please, just leave me some space alone for a while, okay?"

Conker walked back to his throne and sat, his head resting on his hand. God, this splitting headache is getting worse, I need to get to bed…

The squirrel takes his leave and heads for the exit, but Banjo followed and stopped him, grabbing him by the shoulder. "Conker, wait! For once, just listen to me—"

"I SAID **_LEAVE ME ALONE!_**" The squirrel forcefully shoved himself away from Banjo and proceeded to walk towards the exit, taking the elevator on the way out.

Arriving at the unmentioned third floor, Conker entered a lobby with a huge pair of doors that led to his bedroom. He opened the door, walked into his room and closed it, not caring about the loud noise of the door echoing through the castle. He leaned against the wall opposite from the door and slowly slid down on the soft-padded carpet beneath him. 

_Not this again, I’m tired of having these thoughts go through the back of my head. And now with Banjo here, this makes things even more difficult!_

_God, these headaches have been bothering me for the past few months now. Am I not getting enough sleep? Is there something I need to let go of in order for them to stop?_

Conker scratched his head in frustration, then took a slow but deep breath before continuing his train of thought.

_Just how in God’s name did everything have to turn out like this? This is all my fault to begin with. _

_I just want all this to stop so I can go back to living my life. _

_The life I had before all this happened. Before I pushed him away. Before all this 'king of the land' bullshit. Before I even left._

_I spent all my time wasting my life away through countless bottles of booze. I ran away from my parents’ house like a coward. I ditched the one best friend I had. And now my girlfriend’s gone, but since when did that ever matter when things weren’t working out for the two of us anyway?_

_Maybe I should have followed Mom and Dad's advice when I took that first sip of that nice, cold and frothy mug of beer; I would’ve turned out way better than I am now. I would’ve already found a solution to all this. Maybe this never would’ve happened at all if I had just listened._

_Hell, I certainly wouldn’t have set me and Berri apart if it weren't for all those times I stood her up over a drink. I just don't get why she stayed with me for this long despite what I've done against her. She deserves better, and I'm not the one to do that for her. If she had left me way earlier, then who else in the world would I have?_

_Well, I guess there's Banjo. He was the one who actually stuck with me through thick and thin. He was the only friend I’ve had. Ever since we were young, we’ve had fun, shared moments and laughed. All of it, we did together. He gave me the chance to feel joy and opened me up to new experiences. And the way I pay him back for all that? _

_I leave him for years without a note, not even saying a proper goodbye, only to come back and push him away again, just like I did to…everyone else. _

_Maybe it’s time I stick up instead of running away like I always do. I should just come clean and go talk to him about everything, but I’m not sure if I’m ready…_

A sudden creak. Conker’s ear twitched the second the door opened. The figure was shrouded in darkness against the ambiance of the lights from outside the almost pitch black room. It drew nearer to him, closing the distance between the two.

The dark figure stopped less than a meter away from the squirrel as the latter stared at it, struggling to push himself away from the giant silhouette that stood sternly in front of him. As the figure kneeled down at the squirrel, Conker tried to focus on his thoughts, not appearing to move a single muscle, his expression stern and unchanging like a rock.   
  
Conker looked up and saw that the mass of darkness in front of him was none other than Banjo himself. The bear’s face looked at him with a twinge of worry that Conker couldn’t turn his eyes away from. 

"Hey," the bear asked softly. "How’re doing, buddy?"

Conker breathed out firmly. "I think I’m fine…for now." His voice felt somewhat weak and raspy from when he shouted at him earlier. His throat felt dry, taking a small gulp to moisten it a little. 

"Come on, let's move to the bed. You don’t wanna get dirty now, don’t you?" Banjo gets up from the floor and stretches his arms and legs. Conker didn't seem to have the will to stand up on his own at the moment, so Banjo lends a hand, helping him up as they walk to and sit on the edge of the huge king-size bed.

"Alright, so…do you have anything you want to share, or…? I mean, you don’t have to tell me right away, you can take your time—"

"Banjo." The squirrel stopped him before starting to speak. "There’s been so much that’s happened since you were gone. Lots of things went around at home that I had to deal with. That eventually got me kicked out, so I had to move in with Berri, and she lived nowhere near Timber’s island. In fact, that’s why I left in the first place. At the time, the only way for me to get there was through my old house, and I wasn’t able to come back in fear of having to come across my parents, especially my dad. You know how he is, right?"

Banjo nodded in agreement. He’d been to Conker’s place before, and had already gotten to know his parents. His mother was a kind and generous woman, always putting others before herself. His father, however, was very stern and somewhat illiberal; if one thing were to fall out of his expectations, it would set him off. 

Banjo had been around long enough to know Conker’s parents well, but he never paid full attention to know the bigger picture of what was going on. 

"So yeah, that was the reason I couldn’t come back all those years. I’m really sorry.

Anyway, I hoped that everything from then on would turn out alright, now that I was away from the chaos of my parents’ home, but nothing good had taken place ever since. 

That’s when I started drinking. It worked… for a while, anyway. And it came at a cost. Everyone I knew started hating me all of a sudden. My relationship with Berri wasn’t as good as it was before. I wanted to impress her as much as I could, so I tried hoarding as much money as I could to buy things for her. At that point, I was getting desperate. 

Then came my birthday just a few months ago. That’s when it all went down. We were up on a spaceship with the old king and his little henchman, as well as the professor. I watched my girlfriend die in front of me, the blood pouring from her body being the proof. She’s up there now with the stars, and I look up at the sky every night just to wonder if she’ll come back down to me again…"

Banjo was shocked to have heard all this from his former best friend. "Gosh, I-I’m so sorry for you… It must’ve been hard to go through all of that. I’m not exactly sure what I can do for you right now, but just know that I'll be here for you when you need me. If there’s anything I can possibly do to make sure you get right back up on your feet, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. Anything for an old friend."

Conker was silent, taking in all the words from Banjo. "...Thanks, Banjo. I honestly don’t know what else I could’ve done if you hadn’t come…"

The bear patted the little squirrel’s head. "No problem, bud. If there’s something you want me to do for you, you can talk to me anytime, okay?" Conker weakly nodded.

"Hey, Banjo…?" The squirrel slightly tilted his head at the bear. 

"Hmm?" The bear looked at Conker in response.

The latter suddenly grabbed Banjo and pulled himself into an embrace, the former reciprocating the action as he pulled him closer. "There, there, it’s all right, buddy, I’m here."

Conker felt his whole body wrapped in the arms of his reunited friend. This was it. This was what he was looking for. He didn’t know what, but he knew this was what he needed. All of a sudden, his worries flushed down the drain. He knew they would eventually come back to haunt him after, but right now, nothing else mattered.

As the two broke off from the hug, Banjo stood up from the bed, stretching before he asked Conker for something. 

"Hey, do you mind if I stay here for the night? It's already kinda late, and I don't feel like having to deal with anything else."

"…Sure. Telephone's over there if you need to call someone." Conker pointed at a table on the other side of the bed. 

Banjo walked to the telephone and dialed the number to his home in Spiral Mountain. A few short rings and...

"Hello?" a young voice responded.

"Oh, hey, Tooty! Where’s Kazooie?"

"Oh, Banjo! She went off to visit someone far away. I don’t know who, though, but she said that it was someone she met recently."

"Well, do you know what time she’s coming back?"

"She said she’d be home at around midnight."

"Alright, that’s fine. Just letting you know that I’m staying with my friend Conker for the night."

"Who’s Conker?"

"He’s an old friend of mine. You can ask Kazooie for more details."

"Okay, then, see you tomorrow, big brother!"

"Bye, Tooty!" Banjo hung up the phone and ended the call. "Okay…so, do I get to sleep on the bed, or…?"

"Of course, where else would you sleep, the floor? This bed can accommodate more than 4 people at once. Plus, I’m not gonna make you sleep all the way at the servants’ quarters, it’s pretty dirty down there."

The bear slips into the smooth silk covers of the soft wide fabric bed. "Wow, you’re right. This bed is really huge! Seems like a waste of space when it's only you here."

Conker stared into the ceiling as the moonlight from his window shone the delicately designed chandelier that hung from it. "I usually don't like inviting people to my room to sleep, but tonight, I’m making an exception. But just because I let you sleep here doesn’t mean there’s anything special between us, you got that?"

Banjo simply nodded and tucked himself in with Conker doing the same. 

"Good night, Conker," said the bear before he headed off to sleep.

"Night," replied the squirrel, turning himself away from Banjo and maintaining distance.

_Oh, god, what a day this has been. I meet Banjo along the lines of the forest, take him here, lash out in front of him, and now he’s sleeping right beside me. What’s been going on with me lately? Is this all just a crazy dream? Did I not get enough sleep last night? All I know is that I’m tired and should get some rest. _

_I should probably be grateful that Banjo’s offered to stay here at all. He’s helped me now more than ever in my life, especially when life’s dragging me through hellish times. For now, it looks as if things are starting to get better from here. _

_But what if it’s all a false promise? What things just suddenly come back down again when I give it a slight chance of hope? Should I keep my guard up and expect the worst, or should I give in and see what this brings me to?_

_If I want things to go back the way they were, then it looks like this is the first step. Obviously, it’s gonna take a lot more than this to accomplish that, but now I’m willing to do whatever it takes, especially now that I’ve got Banjo to help me._

_Get some rest, Conker, you’re tired and need some rest. You’ll never accomplish anything if you don’t…rest up…for the night…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, it’s me again (as if y’all thought you haven’t gotten enough of me yet). I’m back with chapter 5 <s>and the end piece of what was supposed to be chapter 3.</s>
> 
> As you’ve read earlier, Conker’s had a rough moment and big bear Banjo, being the supportive friend he is, helps him through his most difficult time. <s>damn, wish i had a guy like banjo honestly what a dream that would be man i love him so much</s>
> 
> Also, Ze Professor und ze Panther King have names now, what more could you want? Honestly, I’ve been focusing on giving, explaining and trying to bridge details for this chapter, like Conker’s backstory (how Conker went from happy lil fella to town drunkard) and the breaking of the 4th wall at the end of CBFD. At this point, this story’s just going to be filled with a bunch of my headcanons, so best prepare yourselves to leave (or stay if you want to see what I have up my sleeve)
> 
> And because of the currently ongoing pandemic with your host COVID-19, I can take my time to work on the next chapter, so keep an eye out for that <s>or don’t, really depends on how I feel honestly</s>
> 
> Next chapter, Conker investigates further into the study and reads the notes he’s found from last night with Banjo. He explores what goes beyond that elevator hidden behind the curtain and finds something that may be of some use to him.
> 
> Meanwhile, Banjo heads home and tells everyone about his visit to Conker’s place. After some errands, he goes to his room and pulls out the book he grabbed from Conker’s castle. He reads through the book and is shocked by what he finds, or rather, doesn’t find…
> 
> That’s all for now, but don’t forget to leave kudos, comments, bookmarks, etc. Til next time, everyone, and always remember to wash your hands for 20 seconds, stay home as long as you can, stay 2 metres away from someone, and sneeze into your arms. Toodles, and take care. ;)


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